A joint operation by several state institutions began in Colombo on Sunday to clear blocked drains and canals, with 60 locations where drainage is obstructed identified for urgent action, two days after flash flooding left parts of the capital under water for hours.
The programme was launched under Colombo Mayor Vrai Kelly Balthazar and Deputy Minister of Urban Development Eranga Gunasekara, the Daily Mirror reported. It covers five electoral divisions under the Colombo Municipal Council — North Colombo, East Colombo, West Colombo, Borella and Central Colombo.
Crews from the Sri Lanka Army, the CMC, the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation, the Urban Development Authority and the Road Development Authority are taking part, giving priority to areas at high risk of flooding.
NewsFirst reported the same operation and the same list of sites, attributing the count of 60 blocked-drainage locations to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development — the first named source for that figure — and confirming the same five participating institutions.
Where work has started
Initial operations are under way at Kirimandala Mawatha in Narahenpita, Haig Road in Bambalapitiya, Collingwood Place and Parakum Road in Wellawatte, the Cooray Urban Housing Scheme, and Stafford Road in Kirulapone and its adjoining canal. Other locations include Heen Ela near Baseline Road, Aramaya Road in Dematagoda, the New Bazaar area in Central Colombo, De Mel Watta and Paradise Road.
Hiru News reported the launch as a special sanitation operation covering 30 locations, with the CMC cleaning canals, drain systems and other public spaces, and confirmed the Mayor’s presence. The two counts measure different things: Hiru’s 30 is the number of sites in Sunday’s cleaning drive, while the Daily Mirror’s 60 is the number of obstructed-drainage points identified for action.
Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Sunil Watagala, MP for the Colombo District, oversaw field operations, and CMC Deputy Mayor Hemantha Weerakoon also attended.
What officials say caused the flooding
Authorities listed poor maintenance of drainage systems, unauthorised construction and land reclamation, unplanned urban development, the dumping of waste into canals and drains, and inadequate coordination between institutions.
Officials said the programme is not limited to clearing immediate blockages but is meant to address long-standing drainage problems through repairs, regular maintenance and better coordination. The government plans to bring maintenance, rehabilitation and monitoring of drainage under a single coordinated approach rather than leaving each institution to work separately.
Not reported
Neither filing gives a budget, a completion date or a target for how many of the 60 blockages will be cleared. Neither says who will lead the coordinated maintenance mechanism, whether it has legal standing, or how it relates to the special task force ordered last week.
Update, 9 November: this section previously noted that no enforcement action over unauthorised construction had been announced. That is no longer the case — the Colombo Municipal Council said on Monday it will take legal action over unauthorised buildings blamed for the flooding, and has already removed structures at Sri Wickrama Road in Mattakkuliya and at Bimelwatte Road. No enforcement over canal dumping has been announced.
Context
Heavy rain on 6 November inundated Pettah, Dematagoda, Orugodawatte, Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya and Kompanna Veediya, disrupting traffic for hours. The Colombo Municipal Council said 129mm of rain fell in a single hour against a drainage network designed for far less, and the opposition blamed the government for unmaintained drains and ignored warnings. More rain was forecast for Sunday afternoon.
